Wednesday, May 07, 2014

We are on the verge of losing WRAS to the NPR zombies. Since 1971, 88.1 WRAS-FM also known as "The RAS" or Album 88 has been the 400-lb gorilla of college radio. Since the golden era, we have lost so many stations: KTRU, WAWL, WRVU, KUSF, WXLV, KTXT, WDET, WYSO, KAUR, WLIU, WJHU, WXEL, WZBT, WVBC, and so many others. But WRAS is perhaps the most important signal in all of college radioland. They operate at 100,000 watts over Atlanta a top 10 metro. This puts in them in the top tier for reach alongside WFMU, WSOU, KNON, KCRW... a handful of others. It's loss is incomparable. Below is a quote from their statement:

"Despite the fact that the radio station has always been student run and managed, the university holds the FCC license. This allowed them to negotiate a deal with Georgia Public Radio while keeping the radio station management in the dark. GPB paid the college $150, 000 for a two-year contract that gives them the WRAS airwaves during prime time, from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays... Help us get our beloved station back before it is too late. Sign the
petition...
share this website and stay tuned for updates!"

I cannot overstate the significance of this change for the college radio community. It is inarguable that the dominoes have been falling. We have lost many college radio stations, but we have never lost any one that was so significant. If it is possible to lose WRAS then it is possible for us to lose anything. If it is possible to lose anything, then it is possible to lose everything. To save WRAS is to save college radio.

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